Revenge Of A Sith
by Lincoln Six Echo
Summary: Before dying Darth Plagueis ordered his youngest apprentice to avenge him, and get his revenge against Darth Sidious and the Jedi. Darth Adair, AKA ObiWan Kenobi, promised to do so. A Dark! Obi-Wan story. ObiWan X Asajj Ventress and Obi-Wan X Padme.
1. Chapter 1

**REVENGE OF A SITH**

A/N: _For those who read "Beloved Enemy": the prologue of this story is a rewriting of that story's prologue, but the rest of the story is completely different._

**Prologue**

The Sith Lord was dying.

He knew there was no chance for him. His apprentice's lightsabre had pierced his spine and it was only his total control of the Force that allowed him to keep his nerves working—but it would not last for long.

He no longer felt his legs and arms. His whole concentration was focused on keeping his heart beating, his lungs breathing, his brain working.

He did all of that in the hope his apprentice would come and find him still alive.

No, not Darth Sidious, the man who had just struck him down. His other apprentice, Darth Adair. The young man he had trained hidden away from Sidious, when he had decided to break the rule Darth Bane had created millennia before. The rule that claimed there could be only two Sith, a master and an apprentice.

It had been a hazard, of course. But the Sith Lord could not pass over the possibility of training the extremely gifted boy the Jedi had so foolishly cast away. They had condemned him to a life as a farmer on Bandomeer. Did they not see that even though the boy was full anger, he was also desperate for love and approval?

Leaving him on Bandomeer would have been a waste of talent, and the Sith Lord hated waste. He had taken the distraught boy under his wing and trained him—and he had never regretted his choice.

The boy had become a powerful Sith and would one day surpass Darth Sidious' power.

However, contrary to his treacherous other apprentice, Darth Adair was completely, totally loyal to his master. He would do anything for him, not out of fear, but because he cared.

Because he loved.

The great Darth Bane would probably consider it a fault, but the dying Sith Lord had never cared, for he too had come to love the boy.

The Sith Lord had always been a cautious man. That's why he had lived to reach a very old age, surviving the murdering attempts of three of his former apprentices. The experience and knowledge he had accumulated over such a long life had been so great and so precious that he had not wanted it to get lost. However, he had not trusted Darth Sidious with it. He knew that passing that knowledge to his apprentice would only insure the fact that Sidious would try to kill him even sooner.

So, when he had found the boy who would become Darth Adair on Bandomeer, the Sith Lord had thought he was the answer to his dilemma.

Using the knowledge gained during his life, the Sith Lord had come to recognize the one and only strength of the Jedi Order- the bond, based on affection and trust between Master and Apprentice. He had found amusing that this bond, based on the emotions Jedi so despised, was a strength the Order had always desperately tried to deny existed.

But the Sith Lord had seen beyond the Jedi's blindness and dogma. The bond between master and apprentice had to be strong—the stronger, the better. A master could not fear his apprentice if he wanted to pass all of his knowledge to the next generation of Sith.

This is how the Sith Lord had chosen to break the age old rule, and decided to train Darth Adair. He had never regretted his decision. Through the years he had passed all of his knowledge to the younger man, safe in the awareness that the youngster was someone he could trust.

He heard steps come closer. Someone was running toward him. Darth Adair! He could sense the vibrant presence in the Force approach him…a moment more, and then arms he knew were gently surrounded his unfeeling body, raising his torso and head up.

"Master?" A pain-filled cultured voice murmured, and the Sith Lord tried to smile. It felt good to know he would be missed and mourned.

"My apprentice…" he rasped.

"Who did this to you, Master?"

"You know…who has been…"

Darth Adair nodded, and his eyes slowly turned to yellow from blue-grey as his anger and hatred echoed in the Force and the dark side coursed through him.

"Sidious…" he spat, and he clenched one fist, as if he was imagining strangling the older man.

"Yes…just as you had foreseen…"

Darth Adair's eyes turned sad. "Why did you not allow me to stay near you? I could have protected you, Master."

The Sith Lord weakly shook his head. "You are not yet strong enough to face him—but you will be." His eyes blazed yellow as his voice became more urgent and impassioned. "Train, Lord Adair. Read my writings…study…gain knowledge…grow powerful…and ruin Darth Sidious. You are aware of what we planned together…to seize the power in the Republic…but when the Sith…will finally rule the Galaxy again…you must be the one in charge. There can be only one Sith master…and it has to be you. Grow powerful, son…and avenge me."

The young man nodded. "I will, Master…father."

"Good…"

The Sith Lord smiled a last time, then his expression stilled as his eyes glazed over.

Thus passed Darth Plagueis The Wise, but his legacy would live on in the young man who even now rocked his cooling body and cried for the loss of the only man who had loved him and had had faith in him.

**-----**

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Junior Senator of Bandomeer, was in his office in the Senate Building, watching a replay of Chancellor Palpatine's installation ceremony on the holovideo.

"…_and I promise to always uphold the principles of justice, democracy and freedom on which the Galactic Republic has been funded_."

Palatine stopped speaking and the Senate Rotunda exploded in applause, as the Chancellor made a vague gesture with his hand, in an apparent show of modesty.

"He will do well, don't you think, Obi-Wan?" Senator Anders, the young man's boss asked from the armchair were he was sitting.

"Yes, I believe he will do well," Obi-Wan answered with a smirk, but the Senator didn't see it.

"What should I do? Try and enter his inner circle? Bandomeer could use the Chancellor's support to increase our trading enterprises."

_No, you won't show him too much support,_ Obi-Wan thought, his eyes levelled on Anders. _You will keep your distance._

"Uhm…" Anders said, frowning. "Thinking on it more, I believe it is best if I keep my distance and don't show him too much support, at least until we see for certain what kind of Chancellor Palpatine turns to be."

"I think it's a wise decision, Senator." _Now go, you have something to do in your office_.

"Now I must go, Obi-Wan," Anders said, rising from the armchair. "I know I've something to do in my office although I cannot remember what is…I'm getting old, Obi-Wan! I'm forgetting things. Be sure to be always near me, so I won't embarrass myself!" The older man laughed and walked away from the room.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, alias Darth Adair, leant back on his chair and smiled. His influence over Anders' mind was perfect. The man had obeyed his commands and behaved naturally, without a hint of the dull repetition of words or blank eyes that usually accompanied the use of a Force Persuasion.

The young Sith was quite pleased with himself. Controlling Anders, making him do what he wanted was the first step in his plan of revenge against Darth Sidious. His plan would require a lot of time, but Obi-Wan Kenobi had it in abundance. Despite his young age, he was a very patient person, for he knew the best things came to those who waited.

The Sith had waited a millennium to put in motion their revenge against the Jedi. Darth Adair could very well wait a decade or so for his own revenge against Sidious, and, at the same time, realize his Master's plan.

Obi-Wan's heart constricted with pain at the thought of his master.

Ben J'Ray, alias Darth Plaguies, had been like a father to him, and he had loved him dearly.

The late Sith had found Obi-Wan on Bandomeer a few months after the Jedi had cast him out of their Order.

Back then, Obi-Wan had been a teenage boy who had lost his family, his home, his friends. That had been the only life he had known. Moreover, he had also had lost his dreams. He had felt lost and adrift on Bandomeer, with the sick certainty growing crops with the Agricorps was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to be more than just a farmer. Of course, the Jedi Code drilled into him since infancy stated he should not want more than he had—but Obi-Wan had no longer been a Jedi. Qui-Gon Jinn had seen to that.

Then, one day, Ben J'Ray had appeared on Bandomeer, and had entered inside the spaceport office where Obi-Wan had been sent to collect shipping forms and documentation for a transport the Agricorps were organizing.

Obi-Wan had felt an immediate connection to the silver haired man with kind yet piercing blue eyes that had greeted him with a smile. So much so that when he had been offered a drink in a nearby bar, he had accepted, forgetting he was supposed to be back at the Agricorps compound.

Man and boy had talked over a glass of blue milk and Ben J'Ray had enquired about Obi-Wan's life on Bandomeer and on how he had ended up there since his accent was pure Coruscanti.

Obi-Wan had told the man about the Jedi and the fact that he had not been deemed good enough to be trained as a knight—and it had been then, while he had sulked and sipped his milk that the boy had felt a mind brush against his own.

Rising his startled eyes, Obi-Wan had met Ben J'Ray's smiling ones.

"Did you feel it, Obi-Wan?" the man had said.

"Yes. What was it?"

"There is a bond trying to form between us, young one."

"A bond?"

"A training bond. I wish to teach you the ways of the Force, and you…I believe you want to learn."

"Are you a Jedi?" Obi-Wan had asked, as a wild hope had surged inside him.

"No, Obi-Wan. I'm something better than a Jedi. Do you want to become my apprentice?" Ben J'Ray had reached out with his hand.

Obi-Wan had stared at the offered hand and then, since the Force was not telling him "no", he nodded and took it in his smaller one.

Ben J'Ray had smiled broadly and tugged at his hand to make the boy stand up. "Come, Obi-Wan, it's time to leave this place. There are so many things I wish to teach you, and so many things you will need to unlearn—but you will do it. I know you will."

Obi-Wan returned to the present, and smiled sadly, as he remembered having his hand tucked inside a bigger, warmer one as Ben J'Ray had taken his away from Bandomeer and the life he so despised.

He had loved his master from the start and when the man had revealed to him that he was a Sith, Obi-Wan had taken it in stride. The Jedi masters in the crèche had told him horrifying stories about the evils of the Sith, but Ben J'Ray had showed him only kindness, and he preferred to believe to his own experience than listen to the tales told to children. Also, the Sith had wanted to teach Obi-Wan, while the Jedi had not. For a boy as desperate for approval and affection as he was, that made all the difference in the galaxy.

Darth Plagueis had been a hard, but fair master. The man and child had quickly grown closer, much to the older Sith's surprise and pleasure.

Obi-Wan had learned the truth behind those reactions only years later, when Darth Plagueis had explained him that the way he was training Obi-Wan was not the way the Sith had been trained in the past centuries. His Master had explained that, according to the Sith way, there should not be affection or trust between master and apprentice.

"Then why you are training me so differently?" Obi-Wan had asked, shocked, as he finally realized the terrible risk he had run when he had decided to leave with a stranger. What would have become of him, had Darth Plagueis turned to be as a sadistic master as all the Sith before him?

Darth Plagueis had smiled, and sensing his turmoil, and squeezed his shoulder before answering, "Because, my young one, I'm very old, and I've learned much along my life—including the fact that the way the Sith have been trained thus far is not the best way. How can a master trust and pass all his knowledge to his apprentice if he is afraid that said apprentice will kill him as soon as he has learned it all? How much knowledge had been lost along the centuries because Sith masters have not trusted to share it with their apprentices? I too have committed the same mistake with my previous apprentices, and you do know how it ended, Obi-Wan?"

"No, Master."

"I had to kill three of them before they killed me, and I have to be extra careful every time I find myself in proximity of the fourth one, Darth Sidious. He has not yet tried to kill me, but I feel that time will come soon. That's why I'm staying away from him and why he has no idea I'm training you." Darth Plagueis had shaken his head, "You don't know how tired I am of always keeping my guard up, or wonder if Sidious is telling me the truth or lying. Lord Adair, when the time comes to train your apprentice, do it as I've taught you. You won't regret it. I thank the Force everyday for taking me to Bandomeer to find you."

That conversation had taken place about eight years before and now, at 25 years of age, Obi-Wan thought it was time he started looking for an apprentice. Before dying, his master had him promise it would be his line, Darth Adair's line, that would go on, not Sidious', and the young Sith needed an apprentice to ensure it.

He would need to send a message to his agents scattered across the galaxy and tell them to be on the look out for Force sensitives that could suit his needs. Perhaps a dark Jedi or just someone that had been cast from the order like him. An adult already skilled would be preferable to a child needing to be trained from the start.

Obi-Wan needed time to consolidate his position as Junior Senator, make alliances with the right people, in order to progress in his political career and gain influence over the Senate—something that Darth Sidious already had. Not because he was more skilled than Obi-Wan, but because he was older and had been active in politics for more time.

Sidious too was probably busy looking for a new apprentice, after his first one had been killed on Naboo.

Obi-Wan knew that, in order to fulfil Darth Plagueis' plan to take over the Republic and eliminate the Jedi's work, Sidious needed an apprentice.

Palpatine's rise to the office of Chancellor was only the first step of the plan Darth Plagueis had plotted and faithfully recorded in the writings he had left to Obi-Wan. Now Palpatine needed to consolidate his power and create the conditions to throw the galaxy into a war—a war that would prove to be a very efficient trap for the Jedi.

The spreading of malcontent regarding the supposed corruption of the Republic politicians in the Outer and Mid Rims had started while Darth Plagueis was still alive, and it would continue to grow, even if Sidious did not know Obi-Wan's agents were helping too.

The Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo had been a sort of general rehearsal of Sidious' powers of influence. The Sith had been able to convince the cautious, cowardly Neimoidians to commit an act that, more than likely, would cause them more damage than advantages.

Oh yes, it had been a good show of Sidious' power. It had even helped him to land the Chancellor's Office. The only downside for Sidious was that his apprentice Darth Maul had been killed by the Jedi, whom were now aware the Sith had returned.

Obi-Wan had smiled when he had heard about the Zabrak's death. That creature had been so uncivilized, all rage and no brain.

Darth Plagueis, who, of course had been aware Sidious had taken an apprentice despite still being one himself, had been quite displeased by Maul.

One day, while secretly observing Sidious and Maul, Darth Plagueis had indicated the Zabrak to Obi-Wan. "That, Lord Adair," he had said, "is exactly the kind of apprentice you must not choose when the time comes. The rage is fine, but it must be coupled with intelligence and control. If the Sith want to rule the Galaxy again, they will need brains and not just arms to wield lightsabres."

Apparently, Darth Maul had not even been able to wield a lightsabre that well, since a middle aged Jedi like Qui-Gon Jinn had cut him in two pieces.

Obi-Wan had felt contrasting emotions when he had seen Master Jinn on the holonet, during the victory parade Naboo had thrown to celebrate their freedom. Part of him had been almost grateful toward the older man because, by rejecting Obi-Wan, he had opened a new, more important path for the then boy. Another part of him, instead, had felt jealousy and rage when he had seen Jinn put an arm around his new young Padawan learner.

The great Master Jinn had finally found someone worthy to be trained by him, and for a moment Obi-Wan's eyes had blazed yellow as he thought that a pathetic slave boy had been reputed by Jinn to be better than him.

But then, Lord Adair, had brought himself under control and smirked.

In due time, Qui-Gon Jinn would be dealt with alongside the other Jedi. Palpatine would see to it as Obi-Wan waited, away from the limelight, until the moment he would step up, kill Sidious, and take what was his.

It was a day worth waiting for—not matter for how long.


	2. Chapter 2

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Obi-Wan snorted to himself as he advanced cautiously along the narrow path in the gorge. If only his colleagues in the Senate could see him now! They all thought he was enjoying his holidays on an exclusive resort planet, while instead he was on one of the harshest places he had ever been to.

Tall reddish, rocky mountains surrounded him and he continued walking. It was a perfect place for an ambush; the person he had come to find was clever, with a warrior mind, qualities Obi-Wan could not help but appreciate.

He stopped in a small clearing and the shadow that had been following him since he had landed on Rattatak stopped too, waiting for his next move.

The woman – Obi-Wan knew she was a woman from his spies' reports – was attracted by his Force signature and power, but she was also afraid, unsure of what he had come to do on her world.

"Come out," Obi-Wan said aloud, and the Force carried his voice farther then it could have done naturally. "You are quick and silent, but I can sense you. Come, show yourself and we will talk."

A dark-clad figure Force jumped down from the top of a rocky pillar. The woman, whom was as tall as Obi-Wan but more slender, landed a few feet from him and observed him warily.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Someone who wants to talk with you."

"Why?"

"Because word of your prowess with the Force has travelled outside your world, Asajj Ventress. The voices say you are very powerful."

"I am. The dark side is strong in me, for I'm a Sith," Ventress said, walking closer.

Obi-Wan laughed aloud and shook his head, "You aren't a Sith, my dear."

The woman growled and ignited two lightsabres, attacking him.

Obi-Wan did not even bother to activate his own weapon; he raised his hands and invested the rapidly closing woman with the blue lighting that sprang from his fingertips. The power of the dark side coursed in him. It had always happened this way when he used this technique, but Obi-Wan was quick to taper it down. He did not want to kill Ventress, just teach her a lesson about the dark side and the Sith.

Groaning, Ventress stood from where she had fallen and collected her weapons, igniting them again.

Obi-Wan sighed as he rubbed his newly-grown beard, then he ignited his own lightsabre. The woman was very stubborn. He just hoped she would understand who was in charge before he had to permanently maim her.

Ventress leapt in the air and Obi-Wan jumped too, intercepting her in mid-air. A rapid exchange of blows followed, and when Ventress landed, one of her lightsabres' hilt had been cut in two pieces. Obi-Wan had been careful not to cut her hand too, but the woman did not appreciate it.

With a savage cry, Ventress attacked him again, but Obi-Wan easily parried the blow. Then, using the Force, he put pressure on the muscles of her sword arm. A pulse of energy, the muscles relaxed, and he fingers straightened, letting the lightsabre hilt fall.

Obi-Wan called it to his hand and clipped it at his belt.

"Are you ready to listen now?" he asked, walking closer to the woman, sensing her fear as she struggled to prevent herself from baking away from him.

"As I said before, Asajj Ventress, you are no Sith—but I am, and I can teach you to be one."

"Really?" Interest sparkled in her voice and eyes.

"Yes. You are strong, intelligent and powerful in the Force—you can be my apprentice if you want." Obi-Wan reached out with his hand, just as, many years before, Darth Plagueis had done with him.

And just as it had happened in the past, Asajj Ventress took his offered hand and squeezed it, sealing the birth of a new Sith Master/Apprentice partnership.

**-----**

The lights of the never-sleeping Galactic City filtered through the half-closed binders, caressing the two bodies lying tangled together on the bed.

"I love you so much, Master," Asajj murmured, her head resting Obi-Wan's chest.

"I love you too, darling, and it's Obi-Wan when we are like this. I don't like it when call me Master in bed," Obi-Wan answered, kissing the top of her bald head.

"But you are my Master: of my soul, my heart, my body. I had wished for so long to have a new Master after Ky Narec died, and now that I've found you, I can't stop repeating the word."

Obi-Wan laughed softly and tightened his embrace around Asajj, pleased with her declaration.

After their stormy first encounter, Obi-Wan and Asajj, or Darth Umbras, as he had named her, referring to her ability to move as silently as a shadow, had gotten along well. He had been pleased to know his first assumptions about her had been correct. She was full of rage, but intelligent, and with the ability to control her emotions when necessary. She was an apprentice Darth Plagueis would have appreciated.

Asajj had first been trained by a Jedi named Ky Narec that had crashed on her planet. The man had then been killed by a local war lord, and Asajj blamed the Jedi Order for it. She was convinced the Jedi had abandoned her first master, and she had turned to the dark side in order to get her revenge against the Jedi. But more than revenge, she had wanted a new master, someone whom she could belong to and with, and Obi-Wan had given her just what she had wanted and needed.

He had trained her as Darth Plagueis had trained him for the past four years and in due time the strong master/apprentice bond that between a man and a boy had become a father/son relationship, had evolved into a love relationship. Both Obi-Wan and Asajj were people that loved and wanted to be loved, and they had found a home in each other's heart.

However, now, there was another beautiful woman that was taking a place in Obi-Wan's heart and plans…

"I've seen on "News From The Senate" that you are the new Bandomeer Senator," Asajj commented after a while.

"Yes, my darling."

"It was about time. I don't know how you managed to take orders from that idiot of a boss for so long."

"Asajj, you know that in reality it was me giving orders to him. When I started on my quest, I was too young for the position of Senator. I needed to build a reputation for myself, as a hard-working young politician, so nobody would be surprised when Anders proposed me as his successor. So it has been. Now the time has arrived for me to take a more decisive role in politics and in the party that is so adamant against Count Dooku and the Confederacy he is creating. It's time to make clear that my position regarding the matter is not the same as Palpatine's, something that will become more important in the years to come," Obi-Wan explained.

"Do you really think there will be a war, Master?"

"Yes, there will be. The seeds of a conflict had been spread even before I was born. My Master's plan has been meticulously studied and it has taken time to come to fruition. Everyone in the Republic has heard or said the Senate is corrupt. But they don't know that one, the Sith spread the rumours; two, the corruption is due to the influence Palpatine has been exercising on several senators for years. Then, of course, there is Dooku, the idealistic former Jedi master that cannot stand the corruption crippling his beloved Republic. I must admit Palpatine chose his new apprentice well. Having a well-know former Jedi as leader of the greatest threat the Republic has faced in centuries has been a master coup. The Jedi are already starting to lose consensus because of this." Obi-Wan laughed softly. "Oh yes, darling. There will be a war. Senate, Jedi and Separatists will be moved like Dejarik pieces on a board, and no one will understand who the real players are until it's too late."

Asajj nodded against Obi-Wan chest, then frowned. "Won't the Jedi be a danger for the plan?"

"No…I don't think so. The shroud of the dark side is hindering their vision, even if they will never admit it. They are completely blind to what is happening 'behind the scenes', so to speak. They don't expect a war. They think Dooku is just an idealist rising his voice to make the Republic listen. Perhaps the Jedi even approve of him…they might be hoping that the Senate will stop squabbling and burying every decision under red tape if the senators feel threatened. As for Palpatine, he often meets with Jedi, Council Members and not, and they have no idea of who he is—as you know better than me, since you spy on him. They would never allow him to see Anakin Skywalker alone if they had even a doubt regarding him."

"Skywalker…" Asajj looked up at Obi-Wan, worry in her eyes. "I heard the Jedi call him the Chosen One. I did some research and read the Chosen One is supposed to bring balance to the Force by elevating the Sith to their greatest glory and then destroying them…" A shiver ran along her spine.

"Let go of your fear, Darth Umbras. Sith don't fear," Obi-Wan admonished. "As for the prophecy, I don't care about it, at least not yet. Anakin Skywalker is just a boy and he is not a danger to anyone. I know him in person, and I find him arrogant and brash. We will take care of him when and if the time comes."

"Oh yes, Master," Asajj snickered, "I forgot your friendship with Master Jinn…"

Obi-Wan almost snorted. "Friendship is not quite the word. Acquaintance is a better one. That blasted Jedi has regrets about not taking me as his apprentice and likes to enquire about how I'm doing. The first time he approached me in such a way, I was about to tell him exactly where he could put his regrets, but of course, I didn't. It wouldn't be a good diplomatic move. Instead I was my charming self, so appreciative of the great Master Jinn's concern in my regard," the young man said mockingly. "Jinn asked me a lot of questions. He wanted to know how I ended in politics and I told him the truth—by a certain point of view." A smirk.

"Which would be?"

"I told him I was an unhappy teenager on Bandomeer until an elderly man found me and became my mentor, funding my education—which is the truth…with some omissions, of course."

"Of course," Asajj laughed.

"After he grilled me extensively, Jinn told me how happy he was I had been able to find a satisfying life, and apologized for rejecting me. He babbled something about not having been ready to take another apprentice. I listened politely and refrained from asking him if he would have had the nerve to apologize to me had I ended up being a farmer all my life."

"Master, is it possible Jinn was investigating you? After all you suddenly disappeared from the Agricorps, only to reappear years later as a Junior Senator. The Jedi might have been curious about what you had done in the meantime," Asajj suggested.

"You are right, Asajj. I thought the same, but whatever reason Jinn had to "interrogate" me, it is clear I passed his test, for shortly afterward he introduced me to his precious Padawan. Since then we have occasionally met for a tea or lunch, and he always takes Skywalker with him. He would never allow me near the boy if he thought I was no longer of the light side of the Force. I use these encounters to make clear I have no resentment against him or the Jedi, and that I'm a staid supporter of the Order. I'm already preparing the ground for the future."

"You are so clever, Master…" Asajj smiled impishly, then her eyes darkened and she rolled atop of Obi-Wan. "We have talked enough. Make love to me?" she whispered, after kissing him.

"With pleasure, Asajj, but only after you tell me what you think of my burgeoning relationship with Senator Amidala."

"What have I to say, Obi-Wan? You are my Master, and you can do as you please, with no need for my permission. However, you are also my lover, and I love and trust you. If you say that loving her and bringing her in our inner circle won't make you love me less, I believe you, Obi-Wan. But will she side with us? I have heard her talk on the holonet, she seems so devoted to the Republic…"

"She _seems_, darling—but she is not." Obi-Wan smiled, caressing Asajj's black lips with his thumb. "Padme has already turned, so to speak. I soon will bring her to meet you; I'm sure you two will become friends and together we will plan how to best achieve our revenge against Sidious, the Jedi and the Republic."

And speaking thus, Obi-Wan rolled Asajj onto the mattress and began to make love to her, both of them forgetting their plans of revenge, at least for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

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"We cannot let this Military Creation Act pass!" Obi-Wan said hitting the top of his desk with his fist.

"Of course we cannot!" Bail Organa, Alderaan's Senator, exclaimed as he paced back and forth in Obi-Wan's office in the Senate Building.

"We cannot and will not," Padme Amidala, Naboo's Senator, added firmly, from the divan where she was sitting. She was the youngest politician present in the room, but most of those present regarded her and Obi-Wan as the unofficial leaders of their group.

A petite brunette in her early twenties, Padme Amidala was a veteran politician, for she had become a senator after serving two terms as Queen of Naboo and being considered one of the best rulers her planet had ever had.

She was intelligent and passionate and the strongest voice among those who fought against the approval of the Military Creation Act that had been proposed to face the threat represented by Dooku and Confederacy of the Independent Systems.

"The creation of an army won't make the chance of a secession more remote, it will only make the chance of a war closer. Violence breeds violence. The only possible way to resolve the crisis is through diplomacy," Obi-Wan said.

"I wonder what Palpatine really thinks of all of this," Senator Lexi Dio, representing the agricultural world of Uyter, mused. "He has created this Loyalist Committee and, in words, he says he is against the creation of an army—but we all know the Military Creation Act was first proposed by one of his supporters."

"That's true. The Chancellor keeps on saying he is doing his best to postpone the vote, yet he keeps on making declarations the Jedi and the Judicial Forces are not enough to protect the Republic in case of war," Obi-Wan commented.

"It looks like he enjoys stirring the fear in Senators and common populace," Organa mused, stopping pacing.

"Well, he isn't wrong," Malastare Senator, Aks Moe pointed out. "The Jedi and the Judicial officers are too few to protect us in case we are attacked."

"Yes, that's right," Padme exclaimed, "but why do we take for granted there will be an attack? The diplomatic channels with Count Dooku and the CIS are still open. As Senator Kenobi said, diplomacy is the real solution. There must be a way to make this threat cease, and if we want it to mean something to be called Loyalists – to the principles of the Republic and not only to the Senate and the Chancellor – we must find it. Before it is too late."

The nine other senators comprising the Loyalist Committee nodded and Obi-Wan spoke for all of them.

"Senator Amidala is right, of course. We need to find a diplomatic solution and we need to make it clear to the Chancellor that the Loyalist Committee is firmly against the Military Creation Act. I'm not sure this was what Palpatine had in mind when he created this committee, but we must do what we feel right for the Republic. Agreed?"

There was a chorus of 'yes' and 'of course' and 'you're right'.

"Good." Obi-Wan watched his chrono. "I had not realized it was so late. Esteemed colleagues, I think it is best if we adjourn the meeting until tomorrow…and let's hope the night will bring us counsel."

There was another round of nods, followed by greetings as the senators left the room.

Obi-Wan didn't rise from his desk, but used his hand to lower the blinders of the large window behind his back. He knew he would soon have company and he wanted to keep that encounter away from indiscreet eyes.

The secondary door of his office, the one that led to his secretaries' room, opened and a figure appeared on the threshold.

"It went well, don't you think?" a soft, modulated voice asked.

Obi-Wan turned his chair toward his guest and smiled broadly, "Oh yes, my dear. You were perfect. You impressed all of them with your impassioned speech about the fact that it is premature to think of a war when diplomacy can still save the day. Of course," Obi-Wan continued with a smirk as Padme crossed the room to reach him, "we both know a war is unavoidable, because there is no way Palpatine and Dooku will tone down the hostilities, no matter how hard our esteemed colleagues of the Loyalist Committee will work."

"Of course, Obi-Wan. We both know how things really are and, if you want to know the truth, I cannot wait for this war to explode," Padme commented, sitting on Obi-Wan's legs and wrapping her arms around his neck.

They kissed deeply, then rested their foreheads together.

"Be patient, my love; it won't take much longer. Palpatine is trying to make us believe he doesn't want a war, but look at his eyes every time he gets bad news: he can barely contain his excitement. He knows the time is near and can't wait for it to happen."

Padme nodded with a smirk. "Of course he wants it. His second mandate will expire soon and by Republican laws, he cannot be elected for a third time. But," Padme kissed Obi-Wan to punctuate her statement, "it is highly improbable that new elections will be called if the Republic is at war."

The couple exchanged another kiss, then Obi-Wan pulled Padme to rest against his chest.

"I'm so lucky, my love, to have found you," he commented.

"No, I'm the lucky one. You opened my eyes on how corrupted and useless the Republic has become and how, with a good, old fashioned absolute monarchy we will be able to restore the galaxy to its former glory," Padme murmured.

"Yes, love. When the time comes, our rule will be just, fair and firm. You, Asajj and I will make sure nothing like the Naboo Blockade will ever happen again."

Padme tensed at the mention of the Naboo Blockade and Obi-Wan tightened his embrace around her small form, kissing the top of her head.

The blockade and subsequent invasion of her planet was still an open wound for the young woman. Her beloved grandmother, Leia, had been killed during the Trade Federation's occupation, along with two of Padme's youngest cousins, who had only been children.

Padme's hurt was kept fresh by the fact Nute Gunray, the Trade Federation Viceroy, was still free and retaining his office after four trials in the Supreme Court. The Court had indeed sentenced him for his crimes against Naboo, but the sentence had never been applied.

Obi-Wan, knowing the connection between Sidious and the Naboo Blockade, had discovered that the Viceroy's continued freedom was condition_ sine qua non_ for the Trade Federation's alliance with Dooku. So the Count, alias Darth Tyranus, had talked with his master and Palpatine had made the right pressures to make the Court rule in Gunray's favour.

Obi-Wan had planned to keep the information for himself, for future use, but then one evening, at a party for newly elected Senators, he had met Padme.

The attraction between them had been instantaneous and mutual. Before the end of the evening, Obi-Wan had already had several visions of himself, ruling the galaxy with both Asajj and Padme at his side.

With his apprentice and lover's blessing, Obi-Wan had courted Padme as he looked for a way to make her completely his.

Padme's anger at the Supreme Court's fourth and final ruling regarding Nute Gunray, had made Obi-Wan remember what he had discovered about Palpatine and his influence over the judges, and he had revealed it to the young senator, showing her all the proof he had collected.

Padme's reaction had been the one Obi-Wan had hoped for. With eyes flaming with rage, she had sworn on Leia Naberrie's memory to get revenge against Nute Gunray, Palpatine and the Senate of the Republic that, by endlessly and uselessly debating Naboo's plea for help during the blockade, had done nothing to prevent the invasion that had killed her beloved grandmother and cousins.

Thus Obi-Wan had embraced her shaking petite form and whispered into her ear who he was and what he planned to do. When he had finished, Padme had stepped back from his arms and smiled cruelly, already tasting her revenge.

_"I like how you think," she had whispered._

_"Just that?"_

_"Among the other things," Padme had replied, before kissing him almost senselessly…._

"Why are you smiling?" Padme asked curious, bringing Obi-Wan back to the present.

"I was remembering the day I told you about myself and my plans and your rather enthusiastic…acceptance of them," he confessed, grinning.

Padme laughed. "I remember it too. Back then we had no idea of what we would do to be on the 'right side' and be noticed as opponents of Palpatine-"

"-but luckily for us Sidious in person resolved the problem with the creation of the loyalist Committee and the Military Creation Act."

"He made everything easier for us," Padme agreed.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, caressing her lips, "but we need to keep our guard up all the time. We must play our roles well. Have you been doing the exercises I taught you to strengthen the mental shields I created in your mind in case Palpatine might try to read your thoughts or influence you?"

"Of course I did them. The stakes are too high to risk him sensing something. And now," Padme lowered her tone to a sultry whisper, "my dearest Sith Lord, can we stop talking about work and enjoying ourselves for a while?"

Obi-Wan smiled and bent his head, capturing Padme's lips in a kiss, happy to obey her request.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews! It looks like Evil Padme is more shocking than Evil Obi-Wan! :)

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Obi-Wan was seething, and only his great control was keeping him from igniting the lightsabre he always carried hidden under his senatorial robes, and cutting Sidious in two pieces—there, in his office, in front of the Jedi.

Less than two hours before, Padme had been a victim of an attempt against her life. Bless the Force, she had escaped unharmed. But it had been pure chance, a last minute decision that had made her travel on a fighter as a security pilot, and let her decoy Corde take her place on the Naboo Senatorial Cruiser.

Obi-Wan knew that Dooku was behind this life attempt and the others that had preceded it, and if Dooku was involved, Sidious was too.

Killing Padme, one of the opponents of the Military Creation Act would serve a double purpose. Palpatine would get rid of a political opponent and, once Dooku was discovered to be the instigator of the murder, the Senate would certainly vote the Act, and, probably a war declaration too.

Sidious was evidently getting tired to wait, and it was not surprising he was trying to eliminate some of the senators that tried – or apparently did, as in Obi-Wan and Padme's case – to prevent a war.

The election time was drawing closer and Palpatine needed the situation to precipitate—soon.

_But you shouldn't have tried to kill Padme,_ Obi-Wan thought, eyeing the older Sith. _I've been the most vocal opponent to the Military Creation Act. I'm the one you should try to kill, not her! You will pay for this, too!_

Obi-Wan willed himself to calm down, choosing to remember the face Palpatine had made when, a little time before, in the Senate Rotunda, he had mournfully announced Padme's death only to see her appear on the podium of the Naboo delegation.

The expression on the man's face had been priceless! He had been a step away from having one of his supporters in the Senate declare they had to go to war to avenge her, when the supposed victim had appeared and repeated she and her party were against the option of an armed conflict.

"It's with great surprise and joy the chair recognizes the Senator of Naboo, Padme Amidala," Palpatine had managed to say, a grimace that should have passed as a smile on his face. The surprise had been certainly genuine…as for the joy, well, it was another matter.

Obi-Wan returned to concentrate on what Palpatine and the Jedi – Masters Yoda, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Mace Windu – were saying.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold off the vote, my friends. More and more star systems are joining the separatists," Palpatine said in a sad, concerned tone.

"If they do break away-" Master Windu began, only to be interrupted by the Chancellor.

"No! I will not let that happen!" the older man said with vehemence, and Obi-Wan had to fight a smile. Sidious was such a convincing actor.

"But if they do," Windu continued, stubborn, "you must realise there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers."

Deciding to take part in the conversation he had been asked to attend as the Loyalist Committee leader, Obi-Wan turned toward Yoda and asked, in a respectful tone, "Master Yoda, do you think it will really come to war?"

The old Jedi closed his eyes and murmured, "Worse than war, I fear... Much worse."

Obi-Wan felt his blood freeze and so probably did Palpatine. Had the Jedi sensed what was really at work?

"What?" Palpatine almost croaked.

"What do you sense, Master?" Obi-Wan prodded, needing to know more.

"Impossible to see ..." Yoda answered, eyes closed. "The Dark Side clouds everything. But this I am sure of," he opened his eyes, "Do their duty the Jedi will."

Obi-Wan relaxed imperceptibly. So the Jedi had no idea of what was going on. Good.

Palpatine's com unit buzzed as the hologram of one of his aides said, "The rest of the Loyalist Committee is here, Chancellor."

"Send them in," Palpatine answered.

Obi-Wan, the Jedi and Palpatine stood up as Padme, Bail Organa, Horox Ryyder, Orn Free Taa and the others members of the Committee entered the office.

Obi-Wan and Padme's eyes met for an instant – a moment of silent understanding – then separated as the young woman was greeted by the Jedi.

Master Yoda tapped Padme with his cane and said, "With you the Force is strong, young Senator. To see you alive brings warm feeling to my heart."

Obi-Wan wondered if Yoda would say the same if he knew what kind of thoughts were probably running behind Padme's mental shields.

"Thank you, Master Yoda. Do you have any idea who was behind the attack?" Padme answered, appreciative.

"Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners, on the moons of Naboo," Mace Windu replied as Obi-Wan covered his smirk behind a hand.

"I don't wish to disagree, but I think that Count Dooku was behind it," Padme said, as he sat near Yoda.

There was a stir of surprise among the Jedi, and Obi-Wan's smirk became a scorn. The blindness of the Jedi was almost unbelievable.

"You know, M'Lady," Mace Windu explained, "Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He wouldn't assassinate anyone, it's not in his character."

_I guess you would say being a Sith is not in his character too_, Obi-Wan thought with sarcasm.

"He is a political idealist, not a murderer," Ki-Adi-Mundi added.

_Of course, it would not do any good to the Jedi Order's reputation if it turned out one of his former members, a revered master, was a murder,_ Obi-Wan replied mentally.

"In dark times nothing is what it appears to be, but the fact remains Senator, in grave danger you are," Yoda commented.

There was a long pause, then Palpatine turned toward Mace Windu. "Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces."

Padme frowned, "Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe the-"

"-situation is that serious? No, but I do, Senator," Palpatine interrupted her.

"Chancellor, please! I don't want any more guards," Padme protested and Obi-Wan agreed. Having Jedi in their way was not something they needed.

"I realise all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you," Palpatine said, "but perhaps someone you are familiar with... an old friend like... Master Jinn..." The Chancellor looked at Master Windu, who nodded.

"That's possible. He has just returned from a Border dispute on Ansion."

"You must remember him, M'Lady...he watched over you during the blockade conflict," Palpatine added.

"This isn't necessary, Chancellor," Padme insisted, darting a glance in Obi-Wan's direction. The young Sith shook his head. This was not a battle they could win.

"Do it for me, M'Lady, please, I will rest easier," Palpatine almost pleaded, playing his role of concerned man till the end. "We had a big scare today. The thought of losing you is unbearable."

Padme nodded in capitulation, as the Jedi prepared to leave.

"I will have Qui-Gon report to you immediately, M'Lady," Mace Windu said on his way out, as Obi-Wan and Padme exchanged a look. Perhaps they could find a way to take advantage of the situation. Among the other things, Jedi were skilled at protecting people, and Obi-Wan had to admit he would feel better knowing Master Jinn was looking over Padme, as he and Asajj could not do given their other tasks.

Yes, the Jedi would be very useful indeed….


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews! Sorry I couldn't reply to them, but my ISP acted strange all the day. Now, to answer to a couple of questions...Someone was wondering if the end will be a 'good' one. To quote Obi-Wan, I can say, that depends by your POV. Also, Obi-Wan is not cheating on Padme or Asajj. They are all in a committed, polygamic relationship (polygamy doesn't mean a treesome, just a man with more than one wife). I know it sounds strange, but polygamy is still practiced in certain Asian and African societies, and I thought it would work well in this story.

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Obi-Wan was in his apartment in Five Hundred Republica, sipping Alderaanian cognac as he looked out of the window.

As it often happened, his eyes posed over the Senate Building. If he focused well enough, he could see the window of Palpatine's office and the light still on filtering from it.

As usual the "Chancellor" was working late, the perfect image of the concerned ruler, trying so hard to do what was best for his people.

In reality, the man was probably laughing and rubbing his hands in satisfaction.

Sending Padme to Naboo to best guarantee her protection had removed one of the biggest obstacles to the approval of the Military Creation Act. Obi-Wan thought it was just a matter of a few days before it was voted.

The young Sith smiled.

Everything was going according to the plan, and soon the downfall of the Republic and the Jedi would start, as the Sith continued in their ascension.

The only thing Obi-Wan didn't like was he had to let Padme go to Naboo in company of Anakin Skywalker. The idea of the Jedi Padawan being alone with Padme made him uneasy for some reason, and his lover had chided him for being paranoid.

"Everything will go well," Padme had told him as they had embraced in that very room before her leave. "Little Ani is quite anxious to prove himself a great Jedi. He will keep me safe."

"Maybe, but I'm sending Asajj to look over you, too. Take Skywalker to your villa in the Lake District; Asajj will be there, hiding in the caretaker house. Don't hesitate to call her should you be concerned about something or feel unsafe. All right?"

"All right. But won't you feel lonely without either of us near?"

"Of course I will feel alone, but I foresee this separation won't last long. Trust me."

"I always trust you."

Padme had then kissed him before returning to her own apartment, two floors atop of his own.

Obi-Wan knew from Asajj's report that Padme and Skywalker had arrived at the villa that morning and that the situation was under control.

A beeping noise broke the stillness of the room and of it's owner's musings. It was his private comlink, the one with the scrambled frequency only he, Asajj and Padme used.

Obi-Wan switched it on, "Yes?"

"Obi-Wan, Padme here."

"Yes, love. What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Not really. Not in the way you mean it," Padme answered, rather cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

"It's Skywalker…Obi-Wan, he kissed me this afternoon!"

"What?!" Obi-Wan felt jealousy stir in him, and he did not need to look at his reflection on the transpirsteel to know his eyes were blazing yellow.

"The boy is head over heels for me, Obi-Wan. He said he has been in love with me since he was a child, that he has thought of me every day for the past ten years," Padme explained, her voice betraying her frustration.

"What did you do?" Obi-Wan growled as he paced back and forth his study.

"I turned him down, of course! I babbled something about him being a Jedi and thus forbidden to love. He backed off, but I'm sure he will try again. What do you want me to do? Tell him I'm with you?"

"Yes! Tell him! Tell him I'm possessive and jealous and that I will chop his balls off if he dares to touch you with a finger!" Obi-Wan hissed, but then his scheming mind made him reconsider his answer. "No, wait a moment, love." He took a deep breath and continued, "Let's do this differently. Don't tell him you are involved with me; among the other things, he could spread the news, and we don't want to become public. Play along a bit instead-- it could be useful to have a way to control or influence Skywalker—but back off if he wants too much. That's it, if you agree," the Sith added almost as an afterthought, realizing Padme might not want to do something as intimate as flirt with a man just because Obi-Wan told her so.

"Yes, I agree, darling. That's why I asked you what you wanted me to do. Had not I been ready to play with Skywalker, I would have not asked you. Now I must go, the lover boy is calling. Dinner is ready. Have a good night and think of me."

"Always."

The communication ended, and Obi-Wan returned to look out of the window.

Anakin Skywalker was an interesting young man. Obi-Wan had met him several times along with Qui-Gon Jinn, and he had been impressed by the boy's raw power. He remembered having even thought the young Jedi could make a great Sith.

However, further meetings with the Padawan and, especially one diplomatic mission he had undertaken with Jinn, had shown to Obi-Wan that Skywalker had little control over his emotions.

Now, Sith did not fear emotions as the Jedi did, but too much emotion and not enough control were dangerous.

Given such a premise, it was not surprising Skywalker would have feelings for Padme and act on them. It could turn out to be useful…unless the young man wanted more than Padme was willing to give.

If that happened…well, it would mean some unfortunate accident would have to happen to the Jedi.

Padme Amidala was Darth Adair's woman—and Sith did not share anything that was theirs.

**-----**

From a terrace overlooking Coruscant Spaceport, Darth Adair and Darth Umbras watched as yet another Republican cruiser full of clones took off, dispatched to fight on the various battlefronts that had opened after Geonosis.

Shortly before the battle that had started the Republic-Separatist war, on suggestion of the Sidious-influenced Jar Jar Binks, the Senate had granted special powers to the Chancellor. Palpatine's first action had been to order the creation of a republican army.

When the clones had been "providentially" discovered on Kamino by Master Jinn, Palpatine had proposed to assign the command of the troops to the Jedi.

The Jedi had, of course, accepted, naively believing that, by being in charge of the army, they would be able to control the fate of the war, and keep on pushing for a diplomatic solution.

Fools! There was only one person able to control the fate of the war: Sidious.

Obi-Wan could not help but admire how his master's plan, the one Darth Plagueis had studied and elaborated for many years, even knowing he would probably be dead by the time it would be executed, had come to fruition.

The Republic was in the hands of a Sith to whom the Senate had just granted an unheard of power, and the Jedi Trap, as Darth Plagueis had called it, had been laid, with the Jedi taking the bait and fully swallowing it.

"What news do you bring from the Mid Rim, my Apprentice?" Obi-Wan asked Asajj, who had just returned from those territories.

"I have noticed Dooku plans to extend the conflict in the Outer Rim too. His agents are spreading malcontent on various star systems, causing civil wars between the local loyalist or separatist parties."

"This will insure the war won't be as brief as the Jedi hope it to be. Sidious needs time to concentrate powers in his hands, and that can only happen if the optimistic opinion the war will be quick is proved wrong," Obi-Wan commented. "What about the internal front?"

Asajj shook her shoulders. "There is nothing you don't already know, Master. Your suspicion that Palpatine created the Loyalist Committee only to keep an eye on the Senators he considers his most dangerous opponents, is shared by many others. Also there is proof many a senator is under surveillance—you and Padme included."

Obi-Wan smirked. "I would have been very disappointed if I had not been. Do you have evidence of this?"

"Of course Master, plenty of it. I broke into Palpatine's office and made copies of all the records I found, and of all the memorandums he has given to Mas Amedda and the senators loyal to him. When the time to reveal his role in the war comes, you won't have any problem in demonstrating it. Because," Asajj beamed, for she had kept the best for last, "I even have a recording of Dooku and Sidious meeting in a hangar in The Works just after Geonosis…and during the conversation Sidious lowered his cape."

Obi-Wan looked at Asajj with admiration. "Darling! You are amazing! I knew you were an unbelievable spy, but this is almost incredible!" He pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. "Keep the recording safe. Make copies."

"Of course, Master," Asajj replied, snuggling closer to Obi-Wan's chest. "I have more news to tell you," she said after a few moments of tenderness.

"What?"

"It looks like Dooku is looking for dark Force sensitive allies to whom to give command positions in the CIS' army. Do you wish me to contact him?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, Asajj. It's too risky and not rewarding. I'm sure Dooku plans to use these people to do the dirty work for him. He certainly plans to send them to fight the Jedi—and the clone intelligence will soon discover their identities. I don't wish you to be associated with Dooku in any way. Instead, since I sense the warrior in you longs for action, you will offer your skills as a spy to the Republic's forces. You are a born spy—then spy for the Republic. Make a name for yourself in the army—a name that will be known and revered by the time to seize control of the Republic will come. You can even contact the Jedi directly…tell them the story of how Ky Narec found and trained you on Rattatak. Tell them you oh-so-wish to help your late master's colleagues in this difficult moment. Your skills in concealing your true feelings have improved so much that you will certainly pass the Jedi's tests."

Asajj nodded and smiled, "I will do that with pleasure, Master. The idea to enter in contact with the Jedi and fool them is very appealing."

Obi-Wan laughed, "I was sure you would like my idea. Now let's go; I must return to my office before Palpatine's spies notice I'm gone and you have to apply for a new job…."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews!

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"This cannot continue for much longer, Obi-Wan!" Padme exclaimed, pacing in her apartment's library. "It's becoming too difficult to control him. He keeps on saying he loves me, that he wants to show it to me…He wants to marry me!"

"Tell him you need to think about it. Keep him waiting and wanting as you have done for the past three years," Obi-Wan answered with a distracted wave of his hand, from the armchair where he was sitting.

Padme stopped her pacing and threw him an annoyed glance. "It's easy for you to speak!" she exclaimed. "You don't have to deal with an hormonal twenty-two-year-old hotshot that wants to bed you! Have you any idea of how hard it is to let him kiss me? I don't want him, I want you!"

"And you have me, love—you know it."

"Yes, but since we have discovered Palpatine has put us under surveillance we have been seeing each other so rarely…"

Obi-Wan stood up and crossed the library to take Padme into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I know it's hard, Padme, but it won't last much longer. I can feel it."

"How?"

"Palpatine has almost seized all the powers of the Republic, and the Security Act that will soon be voted on will enable him to get even more control."

"Yes…the Security Act. Did you read that part about sectioning the Republic in sectors under the control of Palpatine-appointed governors?"

"Yes, I did, and I found it interesting…for future use. The governors might turn useful, once the Republic is ours," Obi-Wan commented, rubbing Padme's back.

"Instead I don't like the idea," Padme pulled back, shaking her head. "The governors, or Moffs as Palpatine calls them, are something foreign to the Republic. People don't like changes, they prefer what they know to the new and unknown. When we are in power, the Senator will still represent their systems, but we will limit their powers. And in case of disobedience…"

"Yes?" Obi-Wan prodded, looking at her with an arched eyebrow.

"The punishment will be something not easily forgotten," Padme completed with a hard glint in her eyes.

Obi-Wan laughed. "You are priceless, my love. I like your idea and I approve whole-heartily." He paused as he observed her with a half smile on his lips. "I wonder what Skywalker would say if he knew his "angel" is such a ruthless lady."

"I'm not ruthless, just determined and practical. As you often say, being a Sith is not necessarily about being evil or cruel, but about power, and even if I'm not a Sith, I think like one. You, Asajj and me will get the power and once we have it nobody will dare to oppose us."

"Yes, my love, it will be so," Obi-Wan agreed, pulling Padme closer and kissing her brow.

"Returning to Skywalker, what do we do with him?" Padme asked with a sigh.

"Bear with him a little longer. I'm now sure Sidious plans to turn Skywalker. He has been preparing the ground since the Jedi was still a child and now he is ripe for picking."

"How can you say so?"

"You have told me how much Skywalker speaks of Palpatine, how appreciative he is of the attention and praises the Chancellor bestows on him—and how at odds he feels with the Jedi, his master included. I've no doubts Sidious managed to influence Skywalker's view of the Jedi and now, slowly but surely, the balance is tipping towards him. Sooner or later Palpatine will ask Skywalker to choose between him and the Jedi. Sidious will probably offer Skywalker something the Jedi cannot give him…" Obi-Wan paced as he exposed his thought. "You told me Skywalker admits wanting more…more of you or more of everything?"

"Of everything, I believe. It's not difficult to understand why, considering he has been a slave. He wants to get even with life."

"Exactly. And thanks to your unscheduled trip to Tatooine before the war, we know he has already given in to the dark side when he slaughtered the Tuskens that had killed his mother. Yes, love, he is ready for picking, and I wouldn't be surprised should Sidious use you as bait."

"Me?!?" Padme looked affronted.

"You are what Skywalker wants most, aren't you?"

Padme nodded. "Yes, but I don't like it. Suppose Skywalker tried to mind-trick me to get me into his bed?!"

Obi-Wan laughed aloud and Padme threw him a dirty look, causing him to laugh even louder.

"My wonderful Padme, Skywalker wouldn't ever be able to mind-trick you with the shield I built in your mind! Your are keeping Sidious out of your mind…keeping Skywalker out is a walk in the park compared to it!"

"But Anakin says he is the most powerful Force user in the galaxy!"

"He probably is, but power is nothing if one is not able to use it to its fullest. Take Sidious for example," Obi-Wan gestured with his hand. "His raw power is stronger than mine. He is older and his midichlorian count is probably higher than mine. But his control over the Force isn't as good as mine. Darth Plagueis didn't teach him everything he knew as he did with me. My late Master's knowledge and wisdom was passed in it's entirety to me. I have powers Sidious doesn't even know exist. When the time comes, I will be happy to show them to him…" Obi-Wan smirked.

"I bet you will," Padme smirked back. "But in the meantime my dear Sith lord, since you managed to get rid of the spy following you, will you kindly show_ me_ some of your _considerable_ power?"

Without waiting for an answer, Padme backed toward the exit of the library, as her fingers worked the fastening of her robes.

Obi-Wan's eyes darkened and in three, quick steps he was on her, sweeping her into his arms as they walked toward the bedroom.

**-----**

Obi-Wan was meeting with Asajj and Padme inside the secret, shielded room he had built inside his apartment. It was the only place where nowadays he felt safe to talk in complete freedom, since Palpatine had spies everywhere.

Less than two hours before, Obi-Wan and Padme had a meeting with the other members of the Loyalist Committee to discuss how to proceed now that Count Dooku had been killed.

The Committee had agreed it was time Palpatine gave up the special powers he had gathered during the war. The senators had also concurred that it was necessary to re-open the diplomatic channels with and negotiate a truce with the remaining Separatist leaders.

Now, alone with the only two people he loved and trusted, Obi-Wan made the point of their situation.

"We have almost reached the point of no return. Everything has fallen into place. Sidious will need to make his next move soon. He cannot wait much longer, for the Jedi won't allow him to."

"Are you referring to the proposed amendment to the Security Act that would bring the Jedi Order under the Chancellor's control?" Padme asked.

"Exactly. The Jedi are blinded by their arrogance, but they are not stupid. They know that if the amendment is voted, Palpatine will have the power to disband and even outlaw their Order—and they know they can't let it happen."

"Yesterday Master Windu issued orders to us of the intelligence finding: General Grievous has become our top priority. All our other tasks must be put aside until the General is found and destroyed," Asajj commented. "I guess it is the Jedi's answer to the declaration Palpatine made in his press conference, when he said the war will continue until Grievous has been eliminated."

"It is, darling. The Jedi will chase, find and kill that uncivilized being, and once it is done, they will ask Palpatine – probably in public – to give up his special powers and negotiate a truce." Obi-Wan turned toward Padme. "Have you seen Skywalker since his return?"

"Yes."

"How is he?"

"Full of himself, as usual. He asked me to marry him another time. I told him we can't because he is a Jedi, and he told me he is ready to leave the Order for me—at once. So I said something about him being shunned if he left while the war is still raging on so many planets, and he answered Palpatine would certainly help him. So," Padme continued gesturing vaguely with a hand, "I reminded him Palpatine's term expired long ago, and that very soon he will have to step down his office."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Very cleaver, my dear!"

"I was near Skywalker at yesterday's post-mission briefing—when Windu gave the orders about Grievous – and I sensed a change in his aura and power. I believe he is ready to turn…Sidious will act soon. After Dooku's death at Skywalker's hand – which I wouldn't be surprised if it had been planned by Sidious from the start – he needs an apprentice to carry on his plans, and move against the Jedi. Oh, by the way Master, have you managed to get the details of the conditioning the Kaminoans have given to the Clones?"

Obi-Wan smirked, eyes flashing. "Yes, I have. The command is: "Execute Order 66". It's the same I found in my Master's writings. Sidious didn't bother to change it…and why should he have? He is the only one to know about that command—at least as far as he knows."

"So, when this command will be given…?" Padme let her voice die as she looked at the others for answers.

"The clones will rebel against the Jedi and kill them on spot," Obi-Wan explained.

"Brilliant!" Asajj exclaimed. "I so much hope there will records of the Jedi's faces when they realize what's happening, of that brief moment before they are shot down."

"I'm sure there will be. The clones are trained soldiers; they will record the executions to prove they have done their job." Obi-Wan smiled, before he stood up from his chair. "All right, my ladies, it's time to end this little briefing. I sense Skywalker coming closer. He is coming to visit you, Padme, and you can't make him wonder where you are, can you?"

Padme threw him a cushion, which Obi-Wan intercepted easily.

"I can't wait for this to be over," she then whispered.

"Yes," Asajj agreed, "I'm tired of waiting and hiding."

"I'm tired too—but we need to resist a little longer and then…" Obi-Wan's eyes turned yellow as he breathed, "…then the Sith will rule again and everything will be as we want it to be."


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews!

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Obi-Wan was in his office, in the Senate building, meditating, when the Force shifted and spoke to him with a voice that sounded like his late master's.

"_The moment has come, Darth Adair." _

Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open and stretched his senses. There was another shift in the Force, and this time he recognized it for what it was: a powerful Force user, probably a Jedi master, had died close to him.

Very close—in Palpatine's quarters.

Darth Sidious had finally moved against the Jedi.

Without losing time, Obi-Wan cloaked his presence in the Force and left his office, quickly reaching Papaltine's. Once inside, he used the Force to disable all the video and audio surveillance systems in the rooms, put on a pair of gloves, then moved toward the inner office.

The corpses of Jedi masters Fisto, Kolar and Tiin greeted him in the anteroom, but Obi-Wan paid no mind to them. His whole attention was focused on the three Force presences inside the office.

Peering from behind the open door, Obi-Wan saw that Mace Windu had pinned Sidious against the wall near the smashed window. Sidious was investing Windu with his lighting bolts, but the Jedi was using his lightsabre to deflect them back against the Sith. As a result, Sidious' face was now disfigured and contorted. He was panting, looking at Skywalker, who was standing by with an uncertain expression on his face.

"I'm your pathway to power. I have the power to give you the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him!" Sidious screamed, his voice weak, although Obi-Wan knew it was just a ruse.

"Don't listen to him, Anakin," Windu grounded out, his face contorted in the effort of resisting the blue bolts he was still invested with.

"Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't ... I give up. Help me. I'm weak ... I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any longer…." Sidious said, his voice apparently weak and exhausted.

_Come on, Skywalker, _Obi-Wan thought_, do it!_

"You Dark disease. I'm going to end this once and for all!" Windu exclaimed, eyes burning with rightful fury.

"You can't kill him, Master! He must stand trial!" Skywalker shouted, finally leaving his trance-like state.

"He has too much control over the Senate and the Courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive!" Windu protested.

"I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please…" Sidious panted, his yellow eyes fixed on Skywalker. He was indeed a wonderful actor.

"It is not the Jedi way!" Skywalker interjected, but Windu ignored him. He raised his 'sabre over his head, ready to inflict the killing blow. "He must live!" The younger man added, desperate.

"Please don't, please don't . . ." Sidious begged.

"I need him!" Skywalker tried again, only to scream "NO!" when he saw Windu tense his muscles in preparation.

Windu was about to strike down Sidious, but before he could complete the gesture, Skywalker stepped in, and cut his sword arm with his lightsabre.

_Yes! _Obi-Wan mentally shouted._ It's about time!_

Obi-Wan watched as Windu stared at his amputated arm in shock, and Sidious sprang to life, showing his weakened state had been only a ruse. He invested the powerless man with the full force of his blue lightening, and flung him out the window, where he fell down into the Coruscant heavy traffic.

"Power! Unlimited power!" Sidious screamed, as he smirked in triumph.

Skywalker watched in horror as the scene unfolded, and fell to sit on a nearby settee, letting go of the hilt of his lightsabre. "What have I done?" he moaned in desperation.

Obi-Wan decided it was time to step into the picture. Skywalker's presence in the room and the absence of witnesses had given him an idea, and he needed to put it in practice at once.

Thus he took a deep breath, centred himself, and stepped into the office.

"Well done Darth Sidious," he exclaimed.

Sidious whirled to face him as Skywalker sprang to his feet. The older Sith eyed Obi-Wan with surprise.

"Senator Kenobi, what an unwelcome surprise."

"Of course it's unwelcome; you don't want witnesses. So I guess you will now try to kill me—or will you order Skywalker to do it?" Obi-Wan asked nonchalantly, stepping more into the room.

Sidious looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Why can't I sense your presence, Kenobi? Whatever type of shields you used to come so close undetected should crumble now that I see you…instead they are still on."

Obi-Wan smiled. "It's a trick I learned from my Master. He was a very wise man."

"Your master? How can it be? You just had a Jedi initiate training!"

"My Master…and your master. Darth Plagueis."

Obi-Wan and Sidious were now walking in a circle, keeping the same distance between them as Skywalker watched, confused.

"Darth Plagueis?! That's impossible! He would have never taken another apprentice and certainly not a Jedi reject!"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Believe what you want—it doesn't change the fact I made a promise to my Master, and I will honour it."

"What promise?"

"To kill you."

Sidious chalked. "You are delusional. Anakin?"

"Yes?" Skywalker answered sharply, having coming out of his trance-like stupor.

"Kill him. He is as dangerous as the Jedi are."

"Yes, Chancellor!"

Skywalker ignited his lightsabre and leapt on Obi-Wan. But Darth Adair was ready for him: he Force pushed the Jedi back with one hand as he switched on his own lightsabre with the other.

Skywalker slumped against the wall, but he quickly recovered his footing and charged again.

Obi-Wan easily blocked the blow and attacked in turn, all the while keeping a close eye on Sidious.

Anakin Skywalker was a very good swordman, strong, quick and cunning—but he had a fault. He was too emotional.

Obi-Wan could sense the anger and the frustration pouring from the Jedi as he realized a "politician" was easily able to keep up with him, the Chosen One. The Sith decided to use it in his favour.

"You are not that good, Skywalker. I thought the _Hero With No Fear_ would be a better fighter. I don't really understand why Sidious wants you as his apprentice."

Skywalker growled and doubled the strength behind his blows, as Obi-Wan took a mostly defensive stance, letting the Jedi tire himself in useless assaults.

The two fighters moved back and forth across the room, until the moment Obi-Wan judged they had caused enough damage and it was time to end it. He used the Force to reverse the polarity of the electrodrivers in Skywalker's mechanical arm.

Skywalker looked with stunned surprise as his metallic hand spasmed and the fingers straightened, letting go of his lightsabre.

Obi-Wan's smile was feral as he pierced the Jedi into his abdomen with his red blade. Skywalker fell on his knees and collapsed on one side. His wounds were mortal, but he would not die at once. Darth Adair's plan needed him to stay alive a little longer.

The younger Sith turned to face Sidious, holding both his and Skywalker's lightsabres.

"All right, Sidious, it's your time now."

Sidious growled, fury pouring out of him in great waves. "You! How could you best him? He is the most powerful Jedi that has ever lived!"

"Possibly—but you should know by now that power is not everything. It's how you use it that really matters. That's what Darth Plagueis taught me, and I guess he taught the same to you too," Obi-Wan said calmly, as he used the Force on Sidious' body. "But perhaps you didn't pay much attention to his teachings—or so it seems by your choice of apprentices. Really, Sidious, how could you ever choose Maul? That uncivilized Zabrak that could not count up to one hundred? I wonder that would have happened had he survived Naboo...I mean, did you really expect him to step up as the CIS's leader?"

Sidious stayed silent during Obi-Wan's speech, eyeing the younger Sith with a speculative gaze.

"You are very clever, Kenobi…or, what's your Sith name?"

"Darth Adair."

"You are clever, Lord Adair—and very strong. We should not be here fighting. We are both Sith and the Galaxy is here, ready to be taken. Become my apprentice and rule at my side; together, we will be invincible."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I can't Sidious. I made a promise to my Master and I intend to keep it. Also, I have no desire to return to being an apprentice. My knowledge of the Force is superior to yours, for our Master taught me everything he knew—he was not afraid I would stab him in his sleep as you did!" The younger Sith explained, laughing inwardly. Sidious had no idea of what was happening to him in that very moment. Oh revenge, sweet revenge. He was going to use the last technique Darth Plagueis taught him before he was murdered, to kill Sidious. It was somehow appropriate.

"If it's so, Kenobi, then I have no use for you. You will die, another unfortunate victim of the coup staged by the Jedi to grab the control of the Republic." Sidious stretched his hand and attacked Obi-Wan with his Force lighting—or, at least, he tried to. Only a few flashes of light sprang from his fingertips, before quickly dying.

Obi-Wan tilted his head and feigned concern, "Is something wrong Sidious?"

The older Sith growled and tried again, with the same result.

Obi-Wan chuckled upon seeing the other man's expression and relished in the panic rapidly rising in Sidious. He then ignited Skywalker's lightsabre and began walking toward Sidious, his yellow eyes blazing. "Do you want to know what is happening to you Sidious?" he hissed, "Why you can't summon the Force?"

Sidious backed, igniting his own lightsabre, as he tried to reach the exit. It did not take a genius to understand he planned to flee, so Obi-Wan used one hand to Force close the door.

"As you are aware, Darth Plagueis was able to manipulate the midichlorians to create life. I know he told you, even if he didn't explain to you how. But he never told you he was able to isolate the midichlorians from the Force. In other words, he could make a Force user temporarily unable to feel the Force—and this is what I did to you during our interesting chat…didn't you wonder why I was so willing to talk?"

Sidious shook his head frantically, "No, no, no. It's impossible!"

"No, it's not. The Dark Side is the pathway to many abilities, some of which are considered unnatural—I guess this is one of them. And now, Darth Sidious, it's time to put an end to this game. It's time for you to die."

Darth Adair's eyes blazed as he raised his lightsabre over his head and quickly brought it down, cutting Sidious diagonally, from shoulder to hip.

As the older Sith dropped to the ground, dead, Obi-Wan took a brief instant to savour the moment.

"I've avenged you, Master," he whispered, before getting back at work.

First, he accessed Palpatine's private comunit, the one Obi-Wan knew was used to give the instructions of Lord Sidious. He sat at the desk and quickly entered the codes of the clone commanders scattered on the various battlefronts. He connected with all of them at the same time and, keeping the transmission audio-only while imitating Sidious' voice, he gave them a single order, "Execute Order 66."

A chorus of "yes, Sir" or "It will be done, my Lord" answered him, but Obi-Wan had already left the desk, to walk back near Skywalker's body.

The young Jedi was still alive, but barely. Obi-Wan dragged him closer to Sidious' body and put his lightsabre, Skywalker's lightsabre, the one he had used to kill Sidious, into his lax hand.

"Well Skywalker," Obi-Wan murmured as he knelt by the dying man, "you should thank me. You will go down in history as the man who destroyed the Sith because, of course, the Jedi that will survive Order 66 will find plenty of evidence of Palpatine's real identity in this office. Everyone will believe that Sidious wounded you mortally but that, before going down, you summoned enough strength to kill him in return. I have made sure to land the blow that killed Sidious to make is look as a person taller than me had done it. Everyone will repute you a hero, even if some will mourn the fact you were not quick enough to prevent Sidious giving the order to kill the Jedi. Don't take it too badly, though, nobody is perfect."

Obi-Wan saw Skywalker stop breathing and stood up, and moved to the case hosting the security recorders he had disabled upon his arrival in Palpatine's quarters.

He rewound the recordings, before forwarding them until they showed the moment Skywalker arrived into the room and saw Mace Windu fight against Sidious. Obi-Wan erased the rest of the recording and put the records back in their place. Then he zipped the case with a Force lightning, a plausible excuse to justify why the recorders had stopped working.

When he was done, Obi-Wan looked around the room, thinking of what else he had to do.

Palpatine's comunit was still on, as if the man had not the time to switch it off when the Jedi masters had arrived to arrest him, and the messages of clones relating the successful execution of Order 66 were already coming in and being recorded.

Satisfied, Obi-Wan was about to leave the office when he heard a loud thud coming from outdoor. Looking out of the smashed window he saw smoke and fire raise from the Jedi Temple. The clones had attacked it too.

"Good," Obi-Wan murmured, as he walked away, his mind already focused on the next part of his plan.

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OK, this is the moment is becomes clear this is not a redemption story. Obi-Wan is a Sith, and a Sith remains. I hope you are not disappointed by this, but I wanted to write a really dark Obi-Wan. I hope to see you tomorrow for the final part.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you for all the reviews!

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The tension in the conference room inside the Senate Building was so thick it could have been cut with a vibroblade.

Around the long table, a selected group of senators and two weary Jedi were gathered to decide the fate of the Republic.

As for what the people and most of the Senate knew, Chancellor Palpatine had been killed the previous night by Darth Sidious, the mysterious Sith Lord that had also managed to turn the clone troops against their Jedi commanders.

Darth Sidious had then been killed by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, the darling posterboy of the war, who had lost his life doing his duty.

The people sitting inside the conference room, however, knew the truth – or at least, the truth Darth Adair had created – was different.

Sidious and Palpatine had been the same person. The late Chancellor had plotted with Dooku all along to seize the control of the Republic. His ultimate plan had failed because of Anakin Skywalker's intervention, but before going down the Sith had dealt a final blow to the Jedi order, by ordering the clones to rebel.

It had been a massacre. The Jedi serving on the front lines had been killed—all but Master Yoda and Master Jinn. Rescued by Bail Organa, the two Jedi were now sitting at the table, two masters that the previous days tragedy had made age years in a few hours.

"So," Mon Montha said in the silent room, "What we do now?"

"A new chancellor, we need," Master Yoda said.

"But who?" Obi-Wan said, feigning perplexity. "The Senate is in an uproar. Every Senator with a minimum of followers and supporters will propose his or her candidacy. It might take months before one reaches the quorum of votes needed to be elected."

"No election there could be. A leader the Republic needs now. Wait months it cannot. A Chancellor this Committee nominate must," Yoda exclaimed tapping the floor with his gimer stick. "Approve the appointment, the Senate will. Necessary it is to bring the Republic and the clones under control it is. To the Chancellor the clones obey— who the Chancellor is doesn't matter. Chancellor we need before end of the Jedi it is."

"The Temple defences won't last for much longer under the clones' siege," Master Jinn said, to explain Yoda's urgency.

"Oh, this is so tragic, Master Jinn," Padme exclaimed with a sympathetic voice, and all the other senators added to the sentiment.

"The idea is good. So who do we propose as Chancellor?" asked Bail Organa.

Yoda and Jinn's eyes posed over Obi-Wan. "Senator Kenobi, willing to take the office you are?"

Inside himself, Obi-Wan smirked in triumph. He had planned to have one of the senators under his influence propose his name, but this was even better. The Jedi offering him the position of Chancellor! Of course they would offer it to him! He was a former Jedi initiate they had known since infancy, and he had never let the darkness in him show itself in their presence.

He schooled himself to show surprise, "Me? But there are certainly more qualified persons than me…" he said, gesturing to the table and the other politicians with his hand.

"Young Obi-Wan…" Yoda said softly, "old crecheling of mine, right for the task you are. Need you the Republic does—the Jedi too." The old master turned to face the other senators, "Agree with me you do, yes?"

"I agree," Bail Organa said with a nod, quickly followed by all the other senators in the room.

"I-I don't know what to say…" Obi-Wan stammered, overwhelmed.

"Just say you accept the office and will you do your duty for the Republic, Chancellor Kenobi," Padme said, very serious, but her eyes flashed when they locked with his. "We don't need to hear anything more."

Obi-Wan nodded. "If this is what you want, then I accept. I will do my duty to the Republic and do my best to restore it to its former glory," he said bowing his head. "I will be worthy of your trust, Master Yoda, esteemed colleagues."

"Of course you will be, Obi-Wan," Yoda murmured pleased, not knowing he had just put the Republic in the hands of another, and more dangerous, Sith Lord.

**-----**

The following day, in the Senate Rotunda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, alias Darth Adair, waited for the moment of truth.

Sidious was dead, so he had kept one of his promises to his master. Now it was time to see if he would be able to keep the other too.

He was there in the Senate to see his position of Chancellor ratified…a position of power, yes, but not the one Obi-Wan wanted.

He wanted more.

He wanted what Sidious would have had, had he been still alive.

Absolute power.

For all these years he had waited and worked in the shadows with Asajj and Padme in order to reach a specific goal and it was the time to see if all the waiting and the work had been for something.

The star systems spokesmen and sector representatives had been speaking for hours, praising Obi-Wan's integrity and sense of duty, but mostly incensing the late Chancellor Palpatine, the great leader that had paid such a tragic price for his loyalty to the Republic.

Soon it would be Bail Organa's turn to speak and Obi-Wan would know if he had been successful.

A round of applauses signalled the end of Senator Moe and Obi-Wan politely clapped too, as his heart began beating faster.

It was Bail Organa's turn.

"This chair recognizes Bail Organa, Senator of Alderaan," Obi-Wan's aide said as Organa's podium was piloted in the middle of the Rotunda.

"Esteemed colleagues and revered Jedi," Organa began, addressing the Senate and Masters Yoda and Jinn, who were watching the ceremony from the Bandomeer delegation podium, "I will be brief. The Republic we all love so much needs a new leader and needs it soon, so it's time to act more and talk less. Too much time has been spent in useless squabbling before the war and I can't help but wonder if the war itself could have been avoided if we had just not fought so much against each other but worked together toward the same goal. Our Republic now has a new, strong leader in Senator Kenobi and that bodes well for our future. However these are difficult times for us: the Separatist armies are still fighting, the clones are barely under control and the Jedi knights—the men and the women that have fought so hard to keep all of us safe – have been decimated. As I said before, this is the time to act not talk, and there is only one way to ensure it. The great Chancellor Palpatine knew it too. He had a plan, a plan that will work for Senator Kenobi too." A moment of pause, then Organa said, "Let's transform the Republic into an Empire. Let's hail Senator Kenobi our new Emperor. Let's give him all the necessary powers to finally put an end to this war and bring peace to the galaxy! Let's do what our beloved Chancellor Palpatine wanted!"

Bail Organa's voice died and in the silence that followed, Obi-Wan felt like the whole universe had stopped moving. He was conscious only of the blood pounding in his ears as he waited for the Senate's response.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten seconds of silence and then…

A roar.

A thunderous clapping.

A chorus of "Hail Emperor Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan rose on his feet and looked around himself. His legs were a bit unsteady, overwhelmed as he felt in that moment. His big gamble had paid off.

He had decided to have Organa propose to make him an Emperor because he probably was the politician the Jedi trusted most, along with Obi-Wan. Organa was the man that had risked being shot when he had tried to help the Jedi in the Temple when the clones had put it under siege. He was the one who had rescued Master Yoda and Master Jinn. He was a man whose love for the Republic and dislike for Palpatine was unquestioned.

The perfect man to make such a shocking proposal-- after being opportunely influenced by Obi-Wan, of course.

As the crowd kept on roaring and applauding and records were drawn to sanction Obi-Wan's new position, the young Sith Master turned his head to look around him. His eyes first posed on Padme and Asajj, sitting side by side on the Naboo podium, and he smiled briefly but broadly at them. There would be time to celebrate later. Then he moved his eyes from podium to podium until he found the only two people that were not smiling or cheering.

Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn.

There was a…disappointed…look on Yoda's face. He certainly thought Obi-Wan should have refused the title of Emperor, but the young man could care less of what the Jedi would want him to do.

He had been a Jedi once, and back then he would have done everything to make the two masters proud of him. But that time was long past. They had not wanted him in the Jedi Order and now Obi-Wan had another master to make proud of him.

So he returned to concentrate on the cheering crowd, rising his arms in a sort of collective embrace, as inside himself he thought, "See Master? I have done it. They are truly under my power. They clap and cheer as their freedom dies…"

**EPILOGUE**

**Six Years Later**

Emperor Obi-Wan Kenobi, alias Darth Adair, Dark Lord of the Sith, entered the residential wing of the newly built imperial palace in Galactic City.

As soon as he stepped inside the luxurious parlour, his two consorts rose from the armchairs where they had been sitting and went to greet him.

"Welcome back, my Lord," Asajj and Padme said, bowing formally. Then they both grinned and moved quickly toward him to be enveloped in his arms.

"Hello my Ladies," Obi-Wan exclaimed, greeting each of them with a kiss on their cheeks. "It's so nice to be near you again. I missed you."

"And we missed you, Obi-Wan," Asajj commented, as they all moved toward the couch.

Obi-Wan sat between his consorts and put an arm around their shoulders, pulling them close.

"So, what happened during my absence?"

"Nothing special…nothing you had not already foreseen, I mean," Padme answered. "The Senate voted the law you proposed."

"Which one?"

"The one that allows armed garrisons to be stationed on logistically crucial planets in order to get rid once and for all of the pirates that still plagues our commercial routes."

"Good."

"And this afternoon I also had an amusing conversation with Nute Gunray," Padme added.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh yes. That blasted Nemodian came to visit me, asking a reduction of the taxations we put on the Trade Federation's business as reparation of the damages caused by the war. I answered him that our munificence was not unlimited, and that he was lucky to be still free and not rotting in some penal colony." Padme smiled, before going on. "So, forgetting all decency and dignity, Gunray began begging me! He babbled something about Cato Nemoidia being almost bankrupted. I let him humiliate himself for a while and then I told him I had enough of his pathetic behaviour. I told him he should have thought of the consequences when he allied with Sidious and that he had to shut up and pay or…"

"Or?"

"I will pay him a visit," Asajj concluded with a smirk.

"You and two legions of troops," Padme clarified.

"Of course! Asajj doesn't go anywhere without her boys in white!" Obi-Wan laughed, joined by his consorts.

Their partnership worked so well. Obi-Wan was the Emperor, and his main concern was to make the empire prosper, solving problems and issuing new laws. Padme was the Empire Chancellor, and her task was to see that Obi-Wan's orders were obeyed, the laws applied and to deal with the Senate. Asajj, finally, was the strong arm of the Empire, the army's commander in chief. The Senate still existed, but its power was limited, and it was firmly under the Emperor and his consorts' control.

As for the Jedi Order, it still existed but posed no threat for the Sith ruling the galaxy. The Jedi that had survived Order 66, basically those cloistered inside the Temple and a few knights that had escaped their clones' attack, were mostly children, teachers, old retirees and wounded war veterans. They still worked as diplomats and mediated disputes, but they were no longer the guardians of the Republic or of the Empire. They were again mostly a religious order concentrated only in following the Force's will and Obi-wWn had no problem in letting them be.

As Darth Plagueis had taught him, being a Sith didn't mean to be cruel or evil. It meant to long for power, and now that the power was firmly in Obi-Wan's hands, he didn't like to be cruel just for the sake of it. In was so uncivilized! He was not a sadistic man, even if he was ruthless when it was required.

Obi-Wan, Asajj and Padme ruled fairly, but firmly. Taxations had not been increased, crime was not tolerated, and justice was administered quickly and justly.

Of course, there had been moments in which Obi-Wan had used his full power to squash the little opposition left in the Senate or those few planets that had refused to recognize the new Empire—mainly ex CIS members.

In that case, the Empire's reaction had been quick and ruthless and the lesson imparted—that the Empire wouldn't tolerate rebellion – had been made known to all.

The sounds of running feet alerted the Emperor and his consorts of two imminent arrivals before two children irrupted into the room.

"Daddy!" two voices exclaimed in unison as Ben Ky and Leia Kenobi ran toward their father.

"Young ones!" Obi-Wan said, sliding down the couch to embrace his children. He kissed both chubby cheeks and then pulled away, watching his progeny with the eyes of a proud father, of an emperor and of a Sith Lord.

Ben Ky, the son Obi-Wan had with Asajj, was the perfect blend of his parents. He had his mother's white skin and his father's hair and eyes. He was also very strong in the Force. Darth Adair's heir.

Leia instead was brunette with brown eyes as her mother Padme. She had little Force sensitivity but even at five years of age, she showed great interest in politics. She was Obi-Wan's political heir.

As he watched his children and listened to their tales, Obi-Wan had a vision. He saw Ben and Leia rule after he was gone, two close siblings that would bring the Empire and the reign of the Sith to even greater heights than he or Darth Plagueis could have ever imagined.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Adair, smiled brightly and for a moment he was certain he heard his Master's laugh echo in the Force.

THE END

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All right, this is ended. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was fun to creat a sheming, devious Obi-Wan while trying to keep him as much in character as possible given the premise he is a Sith.


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